M1 Rocket Launcher "Bazooka"

"Bazooka" is a term commonly applied to a series of recoilless launchers used by the US military during WW2 and the Korean War. It was a slang term adopted by the GIs based on the device's resemblance to a comedy 'instrument' popularized by Radio Comedian Bob Burns in the 1930s & 1940s.

Today the term is often used by the general public as a generic term for any tube-like rocket launcher; this cannot exactly be called incorrect, since "Bazooka" was only ever a nickname for the original weapon, but on this site it should only be used to refer to this particular series of launchers.

Bazooka rockets are often depicted with burning engines and smoke trails in fiction, which is incorrect: the rocket motor burns out while the projectile is still inside the launch tube, except for early-production rockets at extremely cold temperatures where it may still be burning for a short time on exit. Later rockets used a new propellant, Blastless Bazooka Propellant (BBP) that eliminated temperature-related burn time issues.

M1 "Bazooka" (2.36" Rocket)

M1 Bazooka - 2.36 inch

1941 first model adopted from Lieutenant Edward Uhl's prototype rocket launcher and Colonel Leslie Skinner's rocket design, based very loosely on a series of prototypes created by American rocketry pioneer Robert H. Goddard in 1918. First used in combat in 1942, on the Russian Front via lend-lease and by American forces during Operation Torch in November 1942.

Had two pistol grips (one with trigger) and a shoulder step which contained the battery.

Contact box located on top of the tube just back from the shoulder rest is only present on this variant.

18 lbs unloaded weight, 54in tube.

Introduced in June 1942, used until August 1943 when replaced by the M1A1 variant.

Used M6 HEAT round: no other Bazooka can fire this original rocket design due to one of its contacts being on the nose, and the M1 could not fire any later rocket without modification.

Not particularly popular due to the unreliable M6 rocket, use of substandard steel for production expediency rendering tubes prone to rupturing on hot days when the rocket propellant would burn extremely quickly, and lack of a bore gauge for launch tube production, resulting in tubes with very poor dimensional tolerances: frequent accidents involving rockets getting stuck in the tube and exploding: these issues were compounded by US troops in Operation Torch having received little or no instruction in the use of the weapon. Issuing of the M1 was suspended in May 1943.

M1A1 "Bazooka" (2.36" Rocket)

Fully introduced in August 1943, with small numbers issued in July. First used during the invasion of Sicily in July-August 1943

Replaced "On/Off" switch with the 'ready' light

Removed second pistol grip

Rear section of the launch tube wrapped with 0.5 in steel wire to prevent ruptures on hot days.

Wire wrapping required reworked electrical system and redesigned rocket: instead of the top-mounted contact box that created a connection to a brass ring on the rocket's nose, a wire was stowed in the tailfin of the rocket and connected to a contact clip at the rear of the launcher by the loader prior to firing. This means the wire on this launcher goes from the shoulder rest to the back of the tube, rather than up to the contact box as on the M1.

Unloaded weight 13.26 lbs

Added optional wire blast shield in front for cold weather use. Not particularly effective and largely ignored by troops: later a more effective solid cone was developed.

Optional solid blast cone in back to replace wired cone.

Improved M6A1 rocket with shortened propellant sticks to reduce overpressure. "M6A2" rocket appears to have been an informal designation for original production M6 rockets upgraded to A1 standard.

Many original production M1s were upgraded to the A1 standard

Later issued with a larger battery, and after complaints of it getting stuck inside the shoulder rest, were re-reamed to better accommodate it

The M1 series of Rocket Launcher can be seen in the following films, TV series, anime, and video games used by the following actors:

Used improved M6A3 HEAT rocket and M10 Bursting Smoke (WP) rocket. M6A3 had a blunt, rounded nose rather than the pointed nose of earlier rockets, which had been found to deflect off sloped tank armor, and also had a short cylindrical fixed tailfin which was less prone to bending during transport or rough handling. Both rounds could be fired from the earlier M1A1 model as well.

M6A3 reshaped the ogive and some sources say also replaced the mild steel hollow charge liner with copper, the former or both together improving penetration to around 4 inches (100mm) of RHA.

Early production used General Electric T43 folding bar sight, later replaced by Polaroid T90 optical reflex sight

Video Games

M9A1 "Bazooka" (2.36" Rocket)

M9A1 "Bazooka" - 2.36 inch

Introduced in September 1944 replacing the M9

Improved coupling mechanism for the two-part launch tube

T90 optical reflex sight

Unloaded weight 15.87 lbs

Short-lived M18 variant had an aluminium alloy barrel reducing weight to 10.6 lbs. Introduced in April 1945 but production ended at the end of the war with only 500 units produced: 350 saw combat use in the Philippines and on Okinawa. Some sources conflate or confuse this variant with the M18 Recoilless Rifle, which entered service the same year and was referred to as a Bazooka by soldiers due to its vaguely similar shape.

Film

M20 "Super Bazooka" (3.5" Rocket)

M20 "Super Bazooka" with rocket - 3.5"

Further M18 development cancelled due to fears that the 2.36" rocket would be completely ineffective against the latest Soviet armor. Scaled-up M20 was developed instead, with a larger warhead for greater armor penetration

Designated as M20 in late 1944, but not ready in time for the war's end and adoption postponed by Secretary of Defense Louis A. Johnson. Issue restarted when US forces in Korea encountered North Korean T-34/85 tanks their M9A1s, which were using ammunition that had degraded in storage, could not damage even with repeated shots at the engine compartments (particularly Task Force Smith during the Battle of Osan).

Replaced the M9A1 in 1950.

Used new ammunition: M28A2 HEAT (able to penetrate up to 11 inches (280mm) of RHA), M30 WP smoke